shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use PLOS?

Discover our diverse portfolio of research journals dedicated to advancing science with integrity and rigor. - journals.plos.org

Depends. A solid choice if you need peer-reviewed open access on a reasonable timeline, especially if your institution has a flat-fee deal. Don't publish here for prestige — PLOS ONE judges soundness, not impact, and the APC runs $2,477 unless waived.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources: official PLOS pages, third-party journal trackers, Reddit/LinkedIn author threads, and news coverage. Note this is a journal publisher, not software — 'buyer' here means a prospective author or subscribing institution.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depthNot comparable for a journal publisher
  • Support qualityNo usable support evidence found
  • Security posture

Pricing

PLOS ONE APC

$2,477 per accepted paper (2026)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesYes
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Institutional Flat FeeCustom, per institution

Best for

  • Sound-science papers without novelty claims
  • Authors under open-access mandates
  • Institutions with PLOS flat-fee agreements
  • Researchers who cannot pay (waiver route)

Not for

  • Prestige and impact-factor chasers
  • Authors without ~$2,477 or an institutional deal
  • Anyone expecting curated selectivity — acceptance is soundness-only
  • Readers wanting tightly vetted, low-volume content

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

APC is due on acceptance — check whether your library's flat fee covers it before submitting

medium

Waivers target countries and authors unable to pay; many labs still pay the full APC

medium

Hiring and tenure committees may discount megajournal papers versus selective titles

medium

A breach-compensation site references a PLOS data breach lawsuit; details unverified — verify independently

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Nonprofit open-access publisher; papers free for anyone to read
  • Formal peer-review process with public editorial and reviewer guidelines
  • Authors report relatively quick review times
  • Institutional flat-fee deals and waivers can cut author costs to zero

Cons

  • $2,477 APC per accepted paper at PLOS ONE (2026)
  • Community debates prestige; some treat it as a fallback venue
  • PNAS-linked study suggests ~2% of PLOS ONE papers may be fraudulent
  • Review status can stall; long waits frustrate authors

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/27/2026 - 12 sources - No vendor-style security posture to assess; a compensation site references a breach lawsuit and the official security page returns a 404.

official x5review x5security x1news x1
  • Referenced data breach lawsuit, A data-breach compensation site lists PLOS in a breach lawsuit seeking compensation; specifics are unverified.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • $2,477 per accepted paper (2026)

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. $2,477 APC; waivers only partially offset
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Authors report relatively quick review turnaround
  • Feature depth. Not comparable for a journal publisher
  • Support quality. No usable support evidence found
  • Security posture: 2/5. Breach-lawsuit reference; official security page 404s
  • $2,477 PLOS ONE APC per accepted paper, 2026
  • 35–45 days Reported review time third-party tracked for PLOS ONE
  • Yes Fee waivers for authors unable to pay
  • Nonprofit Publisher type open-access journal portfolio

Pricing

PLOS ONE APC

$2,477 per accepted paper (2026)

  • Open access, Creative Commons license
  • Waivers available for those who cannot pay

Institutional Flat Fee

Not disclosed

  • Unlimited publishing for affiliated authors
  • Negotiated via library agreements

Security

No vendor-style security posture to assess; a compensation site references a breach lawsuit and the official security page returns a 404.

  • Referenced data breach lawsuitA data-breach compensation site lists PLOS in a breach lawsuit seeking compensation; specifics are unverified.⁹

What users say

Authors describe PLOS as relatively quick and a genuine open-access endeavor, while community threads debate its prestige and paper quality.

“PLoS is relatively quick”
Reddit, r/labrats
“PLoS is a great endeavor”
Reddit, r/labrats
“Our paper is finally published in PLOS One!”
LinkedIn post

Alternatives

Compare PLOS with each alternative.

  • Scientific Reports

    Nature Portfolio's megajournal rival; similar model, different brand weight

  • eLife

    Open-access model with published peer reviews; now preprint-first

    PLOS vs eLife

  • Field-specific society journals

    Better prestige per dollar if your paper fits a field journal

Companies that use it

  • University of California11
  • IReL (Irish research library consortium)12
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources: official PLOS pages, third-party journal trackers, Reddit/LinkedIn author threads, and news coverage. Note this is a journal publisher, not software — 'buyer' here means a prospective author or subscribing institution.

Legit nonprofit megajournal for sound-science open access. Skip if you need prestige or balk at the $2,477 APC.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources: official PLOS pages, third-party journal trackers, Reddit/LinkedIn author threads, and news coverage. Note this is a journal publisher, not software — 'buyer' here means a prospective author or subscribing institution.

Sources

  1. PLOS fees and fundingplos.org
    official
  2. PLOS ONE APC (2026): $2477 Fee and Waivers Guidemanusights.com
    review
  3. PLOS ONE Review Time: 35-45 Daysmanusights.com
    review
  4. Editorial and Peer Review Process | PLOS Onejournals.plos.org
    official
  5. PLOS - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
    official
  6. PLOS ONE vs. Scientific Reportsreddit.com
    review
  7. Two percent of papers in PLOS One may be fraudulentreddit.com
    review
  8. PLOS ONE Under Review: Status Meaningsmanusights.com
    review
  9. PLOS Data Breach Lawsuit compensation pagedatabreachpayment.com
    security
  10. PLOS ONE ousts reviewer, editor after sexist peer-review stormscience.org
    news
  11. University of California PLOS OA agreement FAQosc.universityofcalifornia.edu
    official
  12. IReL-PLOS flat fee agreementirel.ie
    official

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